Standard General Provides Unions New Assurances on Tegna Deal

Tegna
(Image credit: Tegna)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Standard General’s Soohyung Kim has written a new letter to the FCC offering new assurances to critics and labor unions that Standard General’s $8.6 billion acquisition of Tegna will not result in layoffs in newsrooms or reduced coverage of local news. 

The letter noted that Standard General “has  repeatedly stated in the record that (i) it has no intention of reducing local news or newsroom  staff (or station-level staffing more generally) as a result of the Transactions and (ii) contrary to concerns that have been raised, Tegna’s DC newsroom will be used to supplement and enhance Tegna’s local news offerings and will in no way serve to displace local news or local  journalists.”  

“To further remove any doubt about station news staffing matters, Standard General  commits that it will not conduct any journalism or newsroom staffing layoffs or similar  reductions at the stations for a minimum of two years following the Transactions,” the letter noted. “To be clear, Standard General does not have plans for any future station staffing reductions, but cannot  predict how future economic conditions or changes in the broadcast industry may require  broadcasters to make adjustments in the composition or size of station staffing to best serve the  needs of the public. In that regard, Standard General expects that implementation of its plans to  increase station news content at Tegna will actually increase the number of journalists and  newsroom employees at the stations.”

“In addition, Standard General agrees that it will cause Tegna to recognize each of the  labor unions currently covered by a collective bargaining agreement with Tegna as the  exclusive collective bargaining representatives of those bargaining unit employees and will cause Tegna to honor such collective bargaining agreements,” Soohyung Kim also wrote. “Standard General would also be happy to engage with the labor unions to discuss any existing or outstanding grievances they may have  with their respective collective bargaining agreements.”

George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.

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